Stabilized Curly Acacia

Acacia Magnium: the forerunner if Koa and Tasmanian blackwood, also called Golden Acacia. Acacia magnium is an even, golden toned with a very fine grain, giving it excellent chatoyency and metallic curl. It's working properties are identical to those of koa or Tasmanian blackwood, it will darken with age to a deep golden color. The wood is very sustainable, it is planted throughout South East Asia to reclaim jungle land. In areas that have been cleared, it is difficult to start native jungle trees as the saplings require shade and cover to become established. To achieve this, Acacia magnium is planted. It grows quickly, and fixes nitrogen to the soil. The cover to provides allows native trees to become established grow. After 15-20 years, the acacia is logged for its valuable timber for use in furniture. Golden Acacia trees exhibit curl far less frequently than koa or Tasmanian blackwood, my sources say that only about 1 in 800 trees shows excellent curl.

Acacia Confusa: Also known as Formosan koa or High Mountain Acacia is significantly denser than Acacia magnium, koa or Tasmanian blackwood. It's density lies midway between ringed gidgee and koa. This makes it an incredibly durable wood, with a natural density of about .75 g/cm^3, and a stabilized density of about 1.05 g/cm^3. It takes an unrivaled finish and resists dents and scuffs better than most Acacia. It's curl also shows a very bright metallic glow, as the higher density results in more defined curl. 

A story about Acacia

Tasmanian blackwood and Koa are two of them most commonly thought about acacias for knifemakers. I have even met some people who think of Tasmanian blackwood as the “New” acacia, given that curly koa has been available in the US market for at least 100 years.

But genetically, koa is an offshoot of Tasmanian blackwood. Its believed that modern koa trees started off as Tasmanian blackwood seeds blown or carried across the pacific to the Islands of hawaii, where they evolved and underwent island indemnification, becoming a new species in their isolated island home.

But Tasmanian blackwood itself is a product of this same type of isolation. There are many highly curly, chatoyant and figured acacias found all over S.E asia, India, Indonesia, and especially along the coast of Australia and Tasmania. One of these ancient acais became what we know as Tasmanian blackwood, but my woods similar to it are harvested throughout the mainland and other islands of S.E Asia.